Catholic Organizations Sue Obama Admin. Over Contraceptive Mandate

Nancy Pelosi told us “we have to pass the bill to know what’s in it,” (NMP) Obama said “If you like your health insurance, you can keep it.” We were told that the more we know about Obamacare, the more we’d like it. How’s that working out?

(CNS News) The Archdiocese of New York, headed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., headed by Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the University of Notre Dame, and 40 other Catholic dioceses and organizations around the country announced on Monday that they are suing the Obama administration for violating their freedom of religion, which is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

The dioceses and organizations, in different combinations, are filing 12 different lawsuits filed in federal courts around the country.

The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. has established a special website–preservereligiousfreedom.org–to explain its lawsuit and present news and developments concerning it.

“This lawsuit is about an unprecedented attack by the federal government on one of America’s most cherished freedoms: the freedom to practice one’s religion without government interference,” the archdiocese says on the website. “It is not about whether people have access to certain services; it is about whether the government may force religious institutions and individuals to facilitate and fund services which violate their religious beliefs.”

It’s not often that lawsuits are filed about being able to freely practice one’s religion. They’re usually about removing religion from view, filed by people with delicate sensibilities. The 1st Amendment states that Congress shall pass no law denying the free practice of religion, and that is what Obamacare has done, in giving HHS the power to simply create any rule they want.

Liberals may not like this suit, in their kneejerk, thoughtless support of Obama and socialized government run healthcare, but this will highlight whether or not Liberals support the Constitution/Bill Of Rights. The NY Sun writes

Congratulations are in order for the Catholic Church, whose archdioceses in America went to federal court today to challenge the Obama administration on the contraception mandates. Something like a dozen federal lawsuits were filed against the administration by something on the order of 43 plaintiffs, including the Archdiocese of New York, among others, and the crown jewel in Catholic education in America, Notre Dame.* It seems the liberal institutions within the Catholic world have come together with the conservative ones to stand up for the rights of religious Catholics – and by extension, the rest of us – to be free of government mandates in respect of their religion.

This also begs the question “how will Catholics vote in November?” The Washington Post’s Michael Gerson discusses, and notices Obama’s flagging Catholic support. Obama seems to be doing everything possible to annoy Catholics, as well as other groups. His campaign is not about bringing people together, but dividing them.